JOIN USVeteran Smriti Mehra rolled back the years in thumping fashion, scoring a stunning come-from-behind victory in the Hero-KGA Women’s Pro Golf Championship here on Friday.
Trailing by four shots overnight and struggling to adjust with the new clubs she had acquired at the start of this month, the old warhorse of women’s golf in the country once again gave an indication of her never-ending hunger for titles on a glorious day at the Karnataka Golf Association.
The 41-year-old two-time Order of Merit champion, who was nowhere in the picture following a disastrous opening seven-over 79, carded a superb four-under 68 to pip the unheralded Ankita Tiwana by a shot after totalling 217. Gurgaon’s Ankita, leading for the better part of the round, suffered an implosion on the 16th to eventually settle for a respectable 73.
“I have to thank my (KGA’s club-fitter) KP (Krishna Prasad) for this victory,” said a delighted Smriti.
“After I changed my clubs, my game just went berserk as I could not quite adjust to them. You guys saw it in Eagleton and the first round here. But, KP did a great job with the clubs and I felt like I was using my old ones. I owe this largely to him.”
A veteran of many a battle in her two-decade old career, Smriti has hardly offered any freebies to her opponents and Friday witnessed one of her typical late charges. Just four shots off the perch, the Kolkatan was focused on getting a solid start before turning on the heat towards the end, a strategy which worked to the hilt for her.
She struck the ball like an immensely confident multiple champion, finding regulations on 17 holes, and followed it up with some superb iron play that left her with the relatively easier task on the slick KGA greens. She was top-notch with her putting too, firing three birdies -- 2nd, 5th and 9th -- on the front nine before sinking her fourth on the 10th to breathe down on Ankita’s neck.
To her credit, Ankita, despite starting the final round as the leader for the first time in her career, dished out a brilliant performance, hardly showing any nerves despite being aware of Smriti’s heroics in the group ahead. Hitting and putting well, the 21-year-old appeared in control of things which changed dramatically on the 16th.
Smriti, having narrowly missed a hole-in-one on the par-3 15th which she tapped in for a birdie, seized a one-shot lead with a sizzling 25-footer birdie on the 16th. Ankita took a look at the passing scoreboard and immediately bungled. She found the greenside bunker with her second shot, duffed the third before settling for a double bogey.
Leading by three shots now, Smriti double-bogeyed the closing par-4 18th after going out-of-bounds with her second shot but with Ankita just managing a par minutes later, the veteran wrapped up a fighting win.
Leading scores (after 54 holes): 217: Smriti Mehra (79, 70, 68); 218: Ankita Tiwana (76, 69, 73); 219: Vani Kapoor (72, 74, 73); 224: Saaniya Sharma (79, 70, 75); 225: Neha Tripathi (78, 73, 74); 227: Shweta Galande (72, 75, 80); 228: Meghna Bal (81, 75, 72).